Method of continuously measuring the shear viscosity of a product paste

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a method of continuously determining the shear viscosity (η) of a product paste to be delivered to a spray nozzle for spray-drying applications wherein the continuous determination of the shear viscosity (η) of the product paste is carried out in a bypass to the product paste stream to the spray nozzle.

The present invention is directed to a method of continuously measuring the shear viscosity of a liquid product, said shear viscosity being in a range of 20 to 1000 mPa·s and having a shear rate greater than 1000 s⁻¹ and a Reynolds number smaller than 2300.

Optimizing the operating conditions of product processing is the object of intensive research in the industry, for example in production lines processing emulsions, suspensions and dispersions in view for example of evaporation or spray-drying processes. Determination of the best economy operating and control of such conditions is important in order to carry out processes in a cheaper and more environmentally sustainable way and to improve the product quality. It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide methods enabling the skilled person to adapt the processing conditions to the characteristics of the processed product.

The manufacturing of food powders is realized to a great extent by means of spray drying. This process converts emulsions, suspensions and dispersions into powder. Spray nozzles create droplets, which are dried in hot air by evaporating water. The final powder quality, the final powder texture, the dryer process design, the drying efficiency, the walls fouling behaviour, the operational safety, to name only a few characteristics, are directly linked to the spray quality and thus the atomization process.

Known spray drying processes use atomization nozzles with fixed geometries which cannot be adjusted inline to the process and product conditions during start-up, manufacturing operation and shut-down. Instead operators change the nozzle geometries prior to the production cycle without the possibility to cover all the manufacturing situations. Such nozzles are chosen according to water tables. The manufacturing of food powders happens at significantly higher viscosities compared to water. Typical spray viscosities are within in a range comprised between 1 to 300 mPa·s. There is no known nozzle apparatus capable to compete with such a wide range.

As an example, for dairy emulsions at concentrate total solids above 50%, the concentrate viscosity increases in an exponential slope with further increase of total solids. This fact causes problems to spray-drying, if the concentrate viscosity exceeds a design limit of the atomizer nozzles. The design limit is described by means of an atomizer air-core break-down, which stops the creation of droplets and thus stops efficient spray-drying and agglomeration of powders with a required texture. Using prior art spray nozzle apparatus, air-core break downs within atomizer nozzles cannot be determined visually, thus there is currently no means to operate the spray-drying process at its best point without facing issues, such as powder blockages in cones and cyclones, wall fouling or atomizer beard formation, to name just a few issues.

Since the product and process conditions change from start-up to shut-down of the process the quality of the product achieved varies and product build-up can happen on the nozzle itself and on the walls of the spray-drying equipment, in particular on the walls of the drying chamber, in cones of spray-dryers and cyclones, but also in the conveying ducts between the process units.

It is a first objective of the present invention to overcome the problems identified with prior art equipment and methods and to enable to operate a product paste processing, such as for example an evaporator or a spray-drying equipment at its best point and in the most economical way, which involves to be able to process material having the highest possible total solids content and, in the case of spray-drying, to obtain a dry powder having the maximum total solid content possible during atomization, without exceeding the design limit of the atomizers nozzles, which is triggered by the air-core break-down.

It is an object of the present invention to obtain a method of measuring the shear viscosity of a product in line during the production process, such as to enable control of the processing conditions and optimization of the process. In the case of a product to be spray-dried, the spray droplet size of a spray nozzle apparatus is controlled, which allows controlling of the working process and optimization of the spray-drying process. This is particularly useful to achieve a target spray droplet size distribution defined by the Sauter diameter and to keep a target droplet size distribution constant even with changing product or material properties and changing process conditions.

This object is achieved by a method of continuously determining the shear viscosity (η) of a product paste in a processing line, wherein the continuous determination of the shear viscosity (η) of the product paste is carried out in a bypass to the product paste stream, wherein the bypass comprises a pump, a flow meter, a differential pressure tube and a pulsation damper and wherein the shear viscosity is in a range of 20 to 1000 mPa·s, the shear rate is greater than 1000 s⁻¹ and the Reynolds number is smaller than 2300.

The shear viscosity is used as input parameter to control the process parameters.

In an embodiment, the product is to be processed in a spray-drying equipment or an evaporator. The shear viscosity is used as input parameter to control the evaporator or the spray nozzle. It allows inline control of the evaporator or the spray nozzle. Thus, in the case of a spray nozzle it allows inline control of the spray droplet size, via a stability criterion composed of the spray mass flow rate Qm, the spray pressure P the product density (ρ) and the product viscosity (η). In the case of an evaporator, the liquid film thickness can be maximized without liquid film break-up

Furthermore, the control of the spray nozzle thanks to in line determination of the shear viscosity enables to achieve a consistent powder agglomeration in the product during a production cycle independent of the total amount of solid particles (TS) or independent of mass flow rate fluctuations. By this method, a process automation can be achieved through improved and simplified reproducibility and reliability of product properties for different spray-dryer types. A competitive production control is achieved via advanced design of final powder properties like powder moisture, tap density, final agglomerate size and agglomerate stability. Due to the automation the production economy and process efficiency (best-point operation) is also enhanced.

In a preferred embodiment the shear viscosity (η) of the product paste is determined by the following steps:

a) providing a constant feed-flow-rate of the product paste at laminar flow conditions;

b) determining the mass flow of the product paste;

c) delivering the product paste to a pressure-drop-meter and determining the differential pressure;

d) calculating the shear viscosity (η) of the product paste on the basis of the laminar mass flow and the product density determined in step b), as well as the pressure drop determined in step c).

More preferably, the calculation in step d) considers also the bypass-mass-flow-rate.

This method enables inline recording of product shear viscosities e.g. of coffee and milk products before atomization with its specific product characteristics such as highly viscous (>100 mPa·s) and shear-thinning flow behaviour (determination of 2^(nd) Newtonian plateau viscosity (η). The inline shear viscosity information is necessary to operate a controllable evaporator or spray-nozzle inline in order to determine the best point configuration of the evaporator or atomizer and warn in case of design limit achieved. The inline differential pressure drop method allows a calibration of the shear viscosity for Newtonian and in particular Non-Newtonian shear-thinning fluids based on laboratory rheometers.

Other techniques to measure the shear viscosity are either underestimating or overestimating the predefined product shear viscosities of dairy and nutrition products (via laboratory rheometer). In particular for shear-thinning fluids, the frequency-based measuring technique, the Coriolis forced measuring method and the quartz-viscosimetry method do not give the possibility to determine the 2nd Newtonian plateau viscosity of shear-thinning fluids due to the lack of information concerning the applied flow field of the method (and thus unknown shear rates).

Thus, inline recording of the so called second Newtonian plateau viscosity of Non-Newtonian food fluids is possible with the differential pressure drop method and thus allows calibration with predefined product shear viscosity rheograms, which are found from laboratory rheometer measurements.

In the following the invention will be described in further detail by means of an embodiment thereof and the appended drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a process for controlling the spray droplet size of an spray nozzle apparatus and shows the role of the method of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a differential pressure drop method according to a specific embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a principle of a measuring apparatus for the differential pressure drop method of the invention

In a preferred embodiment, the method of the invention is carried out with a product to be delivered to a spray nozzle. Measuring product input parameters in line with the production process of the powder allows adjusting of the droplet size towards the minimum Sauter diameter possible inline and thus makes it possible to consider the complete range of spray viscosities during the production process of the powder to be produced.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a process for controlling the spray droplet size of an agglomeration spray nozzle apparatus. The product paste in FIG. 1 indicated as “concentrate” is delivered to a dosing point 30, which leads a part of the product paste stream into a bypass line 32. The majority of the product paste stream is directed into a main product paste line 34. The bypass line 32 is redirected into the main product paste line 34 at a line junction 36 downstream of a differential pressure drop measuring apparatus 38 provided in the bypass line 32.

Downstream of the line junction 36 a mass flow meter 40, a density meter 42 and a spray pressure probe 44 are provided in the main product paste line. Downstream of the spray pressure probe 44 the main product paste line 34 enters a spray nozzle apparatus 1 through tube 25. The product paste delivered to the spray nozzle apparatus 1 is then sprayed into a spray drying chamber 46.

The differential pressure drop measuring apparatus 38 determines the shear rate and the shear viscosity η of the product paste delivered to the spray nozzle, according to one preferred embodiment of the invention. The data of the shear rate and shear viscosity η are delivered from the differential pressure drop measuring apparatus 38 to a control device (SPS-control) 48. In the same manner, the product paste mass flow rate Q_(m) determined in the mass flow meter 40, the product paste density ρ determined in the density meter 42 and the spray pressure P of the product paste determined in the spray pressure probe 44 are also delivered to the control device 48. The shear rate has to be greater than 1000 s⁻¹.

Control device 48 comprises a computer which calculates an output control parameter based on the above data delivered to the control device 48 and on the basis of known spray nozzle geometry parameters stored in a memory of the control device 48. The output control parameter is delivered to the spray nozzle apparatus 1 in order to adjust the swirl chamber piston 17 (plunger) to a calculated position in order to obtain a desired swirl chamber volume.

The following equations 1-7 describe the solving procedure how to control the plunger position (given with h_(sc)) based on a change in the paste shear viscosity η.

Accordingly the solving procedure is applied for a change in mass flow rate Qm and paste density ρ.

Universal Massflow-Characterization of Pressure Swirl Nozzle Flows:

$\begin{matrix} {\frac{Qm}{\eta \mspace{11mu} d_{sc}} = {2.1844\left( \frac{d_{or}}{d_{sc}} \right)^{1.2859}\left( \frac{h_{sc}}{d_{sc}} \right)^{0.4611}\left( \frac{\sqrt{P\; \rho}d_{sc}}{\eta} \right)^{0.9140}}} & (1) \end{matrix}$

The relation between spray pressure P and axial position of the plunger (given with h_(sc)) is derived for the example of a shear viscosity change from η_(old) to η_(new):

$\begin{matrix} {\frac{\eta_{new}}{\eta_{old}} = {\left( \frac{h_{{sc},{old}}}{h_{{sc},{new}}} \right)^{0.4611}\left( \frac{\eta_{new}}{\eta_{old}} \right)^{0.9140}\left( \frac{P_{old}}{P_{new}} \right)^{\frac{0.9140}{2}}}} & (2) \end{matrix}$

Solved for the spray pressure ratio:

$\begin{matrix} {\frac{P_{old}}{P_{new}} = {\left( \frac{\eta_{new}}{\eta_{old}} \right)^{\frac{1 - 0.9140}{0.4570}}\left( \frac{h_{{sc},{old}}}{h_{{sc},{new}}} \right)^{\frac{- 0.4611}{0.4570}}}} & (3) \end{matrix}$

In order to find a direct relation between plunger position h_(sc) and shear viscosity η, the spray pressure ratio has to be found from another equation, see equations 4-6 below:

Universal Spray Droplet Size Characterization of Pressure Swirl Nozzle Sprays:

$\begin{matrix} {\frac{D_{32,{global}}}{d_{sc}} = {1.0798\mspace{14mu} {Re}^{- 0.2987}{{We}^{- 0.1709}\left( \frac{h_{sc}}{d_{sc}} \right)}^{- 0.0772}\left( \frac{d_{or}}{d_{sc}} \right)^{0.9534}}} & (4) \end{matrix}$

Again, one can derive the Spray Pressure Ratio with the consistency conditions that D_(32-global-old) and D_(32-global-new) remain constant:

$\begin{matrix} {\begin{matrix} {\frac{D_{32,{global},{old}}}{D_{32,{global},{new}}} = 1} \\ {= {\left( \frac{{Re}_{old}}{{Re}_{new}} \right)^{- 0.2987}\left( \frac{{We}_{old}}{{We}_{new}} \right)^{- 0.1709}\left( \frac{h_{{sc},{old}}}{g} \right)^{- 0.0772}}} \\ {= {\left( \frac{h_{{sc},{old}}}{h_{{sc},{new}}} \right)^{- 0.2987}\left( \frac{\eta_{old}}{\eta_{new}} \right)^{0.2987}\left( \frac{h_{{sc},{old}}}{h_{{sc},{new}}} \right)^{0.2987}}} \\ {{\left( \frac{h_{{sc},{old}}}{h_{{sc},{new}}} \right)^{0.1709 \cdot 2}\left( \frac{h_{{sc},{old}}}{h_{{sc},{new}}} \right)^{- 0.0772}}} \end{matrix}\quad} & (5) \end{matrix}$

And hence the solution, how to control the plunger height h_(sc,new) based on a current position h_(sc,old):

$\begin{matrix} {\frac{h_{{sc},{new}}}{h_{{sc},{old}}} = \left( \frac{\eta_{new}}{\eta_{old}} \right)^{- 1.1289}} & (6) \end{matrix}$

Combining equations 3 and 6 one receives the solution, how to control the spray pressure:

$\begin{matrix} {\frac{P_{new}}{P_{old}} = \left( \frac{\eta_{new}}{\eta_{old}} \right)^{0.9508}} & (7) \end{matrix}$

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the differential pressure drop method as applied in the differential pressure drop measuring apparatus 38 and according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. A feed pump 50 is provided in the bypass line 32 downstream of dosing point 30. The feed pump 50 ensures a constant feed-flow-rate in the differential pressure drop measuring apparatus 38 to enable shear rates which cover the second Newtonian viscosity plateau. Downstream of the feed pump 50 a mass flow meter 52 is provided through which the product paste in the bypass line 32 is directed into a pressure drop meter 54. The shear viscosity (η) of the product paste in the bypass line 32 is calculated from the mass flow measured in the mass flow meter 52, the known product density of the product paste and the pressure drop measured in the pressure drop meter 54. This calculation is either made in a computer (not shown) of the differential pressure drop measuring apparatus 38 or, the respective data are delivered to the control device 48 and the shear viscosity η is calculated in the computer of the control device 48. In order to consider the fact that the pressure drop is measured in a bypass line 32 the bypass mass flowrate is adjusted by the feed pump 50 until the shear-rate is above 1000 s⁻¹, so that the second Newtonian plateau viscosity can be measured by the pressure drop-meter 54 within laminar flow conditions.

A pulsation damper is also preferably provided in the bypass to reduce the noise in the pressure determination.

In the present example the dosing point 30 regulates the bypass flow rate to keep the bypass flow pressure <20 bar at laminar flow conditions, with a Reynolds number below 2300.

FIG. 3 shows the principle of a measuring apparatus (pressure drop meter) for the differential pressure drop method for determination of the second Newtonian plateau viscosity using three independent pressure drop recordings at three different shear-rates.

The pressure drop meter 100 comprises a tube having a fluid inlet section 102 and a fluid outlet section 104 and three pressure drop measuring sections 106, 108, 110 provided between the inlet section 102 and the outlet section 104. The first pressure drop measuring section 106 which is close to the inlet section 102 has a first internal diameter d₁ and a first axial length I₁. A first differential pressure meter 112 measuring a first pressure drop Δp₁ is connected to the first pressure drop measuring section 106 in a commonly known matter wherein the axial distance L₁ between the two static pressure measuring openings in the wall of the first pressure drop measuring section 106 is substantially equal to the length I₁ of the first pressure drop measuring section 106.

The second pressure drop measuring section 108 is provided downstream of the first pressure drop measuring section 106. The internal diameter d₂ of the second pressure drop measuring section 108 is smaller than the diameter d₁ of the first pressure drop measuring section. The length I₂ of the second pressure drop measuring section 108 is shorter than the length of the first pressure drop measuring section 106. The second pressure drop measuring section 108 comprises a second differential pressure meter 114 measuring a second pressure drop Δp₂ wherein the distance L₂ between the two static pressure measuring openings in the wall of the second pressure drop measuring section 108 is shorter than the distance L₁ of the first differential pressure meter 112.

A third pressure drop measuring section 110 is provided downstream of the second pressure drop measuring section 108 and the third pressure drop measuring section 110 opens into the outlet section 104. The internal diameter d₃ of the third pressure drop measuring section 110 is smaller than the diameter d₂ of the second pressure drop measuring section 108 and the length I₃ of the third pressure drop measuring section is shorter than the length I₂ of the second pressure drop measuring section. The third pressure drop measuring section 110 comprises in a commonly known manner a third differential pressure meter 116 measuring a third pressure drop Δp₃. The distance L₃ between the two static pressure measuring openings in the wall of the third pressure drop measuring section 110 is shorter than the distance L₂ of the second differential pressure meter 114.

The differential pressure drop meter 100 allows the measurement of three independent pressure drop recordings of the first, the second and the third differential pressure drop meters. Utilizing these three differential pressure drop probes in series, a single mass flow rate causes three increasing wall shear rates with the decreasing tube diameter.

The following equation 8 is used to calculate the shear viscosity η for laminar tube flows (Re<2300), applied to all 3 differential pressures Δp₁, Δp₂ and Δp₃ (respectively measured at 112, 114 and 116, FIG. 8), by replacing Δp_(i) and the corresponding tube dimensions (R_(i) and L_(i)) in equation 8:

Only, if the shear viscosity η_(i) is equal (η₁=η₂=η₃) between the 3 differential pressures, the 2^(nd) Newtonian shear viscosity is found and used e.g. in equation 1 and 7, etc.

$\begin{matrix} {\eta_{i} = \frac{{\pi \cdot R_{i}^{4} \cdot \Delta}\; {p_{i} \cdot \rho}}{8 \cdot {Qm} \cdot L_{i}}} & (8) \end{matrix}$

with following definitions of symbols:

-   R_(i): tube radius (R₁, R₂ and R₃) in [m] -   Δp_(i): tube pressure drop (Δp₁, Δp₂ and Δp₃) in [Pa] -   ρ: product density in [kg/m3] -   Qm: mass flow rate in [kg/s] -   L_(i): tube length (distance L₁, L₂ and L₃) in [m]

TABLE 1 Abbreviations and formula Symbol, Abbreviation Description Units D3_(2,global) Global Sauter diameter as found [m] from PDA measurements of spray d_(sc) Swirl chamber diameter [m] (smallest diameter of swirl chamber spiral) h_(sc) Swirl chamber height [m] (axial height of swirl chamber) d_(or) Orifice diameter [m] (diameter of opening made in orifice plate) b_(ch) Width of swirl chamber inlet [m] channel (smallest width of inlet channel which leads into the swirl chamber) We $\quad\begin{matrix} {{Weber}\mspace{14mu} {number}} \\ {{We} = \frac{\rho_{liquid}u_{bulk}^{2}d_{orifice}}{\sigma_{liquid}}} \end{matrix}$ — Eu $\quad\begin{matrix} {{Euler}\mspace{14mu} {number}} \\ {{Eu} = \frac{P}{\rho_{liquid}u_{bulk}^{2}}} \end{matrix}$ — Re $\quad\begin{matrix} {{Reynolds}\mspace{14mu} {number}} \\ {{Re} = \frac{\rho_{liquid}u_{bulk}h_{sc}}{\mu}} \end{matrix}$ — u_(bulk) $\quad\begin{matrix} {{Bulk}\mspace{14mu} {velocity}\mspace{14mu} {at}\mspace{14mu} {swirl}\mspace{14mu} {chamber}\mspace{14mu} {inlet}} \\ {u_{bulk} = \frac{Qm}{\rho_{liquid}h_{sc}b_{ch}}} \end{matrix}$ [m/s] Qm Mass flow rate [kg/s] P Spray pressure [Pa] ρ_(liquid) Liquid density [kg/m³] η_(liquid) Liquid shear viscosity [Pa · s] σ_(liquid) Surface tension [N/m] PDA Phase-Doppler Anemometry —

The invention should not be regarded as being limited to the embodiment shown and described in the above but various modifications and combinations of features may be carried out without departing from the scope of the following claims. 

1. Method of continuously determining the shear viscosity of a product paste in a processing line, wherein the continuous determination of the shear viscosity of the product paste is carried out in a bypass to the product paste stream, the bypass comprising a pump, a flow meter, a differential pressure tube and a pulsation damper and wherein the shear viscosity is in a range of 20 to 1000 mPa·s the shear rate is greater than 1000 s⁻¹ and the Reynolds number is less than
 2300. 2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the shear viscosity of the product paste is determined by the following steps: a) providing a constant feed-flow-rate of the product paste; b) determining the mass flow of the product paste; c) delivering the product paste to a pressure-drop-meter and determining the differential pressure; d) calculating the shear viscosity of the product paste on the basis of the laminar mass flow and the product density determined in step b), as well as the pressure drop determined in step c).
 3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the calculation in step d) considers also the bypass-mass-flow-rate.
 4. Method according to claim 2, wherein the determination of the pressure drop in step c) is carried out according to the differential pressure drop method.
 5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the product paste is to be delivered to a spray nozzle for spray-drying applications, wherein the continuous determination of the shear viscosity (TO) of the product paste is carried out in a bypass to the product paste stream to the spray nozzle. 